What other Hobbies did you get in and Dump?

AMEN to this Gilly.  I have a S/G (9.90) Vette and the cost to earnings ratio is way out of whack. I do not compete anymore, just run for fun, don't care if I win or lose, but you cannot beat that adrenaline rush

Art

1949 First Lionel train set, I was 4 months old. 1950's baseball cards, somewhere along the line I lost them. 1960's Slot cars 1/32 sports cars and 1/25 Nascar. My friends and I made our own tracks. 1970's and 80's Model ship building. 1990's to present O gauge model railroading

Guys,

I suppose I've been into a lot of stuff but when I was 10 one Christmas I got a new train set of American Flyers then just as quickly it disappeared into the attic once Christmas was over and when I asked about next Christmas my Dad didn"t bring it down, because he said that my brother and sister were breaking them and he wanted to save them for when I was older and could appreciate them.

Some of my hobbies were collecting comic books and Topps Baseball cards (the kind with buble gum) then later  I collected model cars and built airplanes.

Much later, I got into  O gauge trains again (after an absence of 40 odd years) and I have been into it ever since luckily my old hobby didn't die just because my interest waned.

Mike Maurice

PS. I must say it was due to this forum and the many discussions of the mayhem of York that has kept me interested, thanks guys!!! I hope your holidays were festive I for one am glad that spring has finally sprung in the northeast.

 just run for fun, don't care if I win or lose, but you cannot beat that adrenaline rush

 

Art

You're spot on with the adrenaline. Nothing else has ever come close. My younger has begged me to run my C5 Corvette at Va Motorsports Park. However being 100% stock I can just see a half shaft on the 1-2 shift at 60' going snap-bang right into the Jersey wall. It's sitting in the driveway right now all blue, straight, and pretty.

Gilly 

Gilly and Art we all have had the rush. Once you try it you are forever chasing that feeling.. But I agree with age I seem to be more cautious and don't want to break my car.. I have a stock Lighting that I have been tempted to run but have not pulled the trigger. I also have retired the Coronet to the street only. But I still have the Mustang which is my workhorse and she is ready to run. I just upgraded a few things and should be running 10.20,s . Art does have a nice car also. Hope to see him at Island this year.. 

You guys are ALL extraordinary people.Thats the best I can do to describe it.Nick

Originally Posted by Art:

 just run for fun, don't care if I win or lose, but you cannot beat that adrenaline rush

 

Art

You're spot on with the adrenaline. Nothing else has ever come close. My younger has begged me to run my C5 Corvette at Va Motorsports Park. However being 100% stock I can just see a half shaft on the 1-2 shift at 60' going snap-bang right into the Jersey wall. It's sitting in the driveway right now all blue, straight, and pretty.

 

Gilly 

Sorry, but tearing across a airfield in a WW2 P-51 fighter with the throttle to the firewall (with a B-17 and a B-24 in trail, behind you) beats anything on four wheels any day of the week.

Best 90 minutes of my life. After that, I knew nothing would ever be the same.

I still volunteer with various warplane groups (I have a B-29 trip planned for this summer, I'll have gone up in all the major US four-engine WW2 bombers once I do that), but nothing will ever top that.

Once upon a time my hobbies included stamp collecting, photography, Boy Scout neckerchief & patch collecting, OO & N gauge trains, guitar playing, die cast car collecting and gasoline engine rebuilding. Today I only dabble in O-gauge trains, guns, Model A & V8 Fords and Ford Mustangs.

Originally Posted by Gilly@N&W:

Originally Posted by Art:

 just run for fun, don't care if I win or lose, but you cannot beat that adrenaline rush

 

Art

You're spot on with the adrenaline. Nothing else has ever come close. My younger has begged me to run my C5 Corvette at Va Motorsports Park. However being 100% stock I can just see a half shaft on the 1-2 shift at 60' going snap-bang right into the Jersey wall. It's sitting in the driveway right now all blue, straight, and pretty.

 

Gilly 

Sorry, but tearing across a airfield in a WW2 P-51 fighter with the throttle to the firewall (with a B-17 and a B-24 in trail, behind you) beats anything on four wheels any day of the week.

Best 90 minutes of my life. After that, I knew nothing would ever be the same.

I still volunteer with various warplane groups (I have a B-29 trip planned for this summer, I'll have gone up in all the major US four-engine WW2 bombers once I do that), but nothing will ever top that.

Piloting B-17, B-24, and B-25, somewere we may have met. Did that for 25 years. Osh Kosh, and Confederate. Your right about the rush, it happens everytime.

You guys who flew in real WWII planes are so lucky. The P51 is one of my favorites among Most WWII fighters and bombers....The closest I flew was a 75% All metal T-51 (P51 look alike) or I did a few aerobatics in a Christian Eagle II and did 200 MPH in it and it was a lot of fun. Not showing off, just sharing with you guys.

Nothing compares to flying...for me anyway...

Great variety of people who model trains, this is what makes this site wonderful!

Lionel is my first Hobby.

I also collect Vintage Tyco Slot Cars and Tyco HO scale brown box and earlier trains.

Off Road Tamiya R/C cars..(the new re releases are great)

Vintage Corgi and Matchbox Super Kings Die Cast (for the O gauge)

Blow Mold Outdoor Christmas decorations.

Havent really dumped any of my hobbies...

I have too many hobbies that include a classic car collection, collections of antique clocks, telephones, radios and other items, hiking, train travel, firearms and model trains. I used to be an avid skier until I was hit at Killington by an out-of-control snowboarder that split my leg from calf to knee. I almost bled to death and that was the end of my skiing hobby. Since I am a life long model railroader, that hobby is here to stay.

I would have loved to been a pilot and shared some of these adventures!

Had a friend who built a Christian Eagle and gave me a ride in it. It was great . I built a 1/3rd scale model of his plane (HL99N) and it hung upside down in our hobby shop front window alongside a 1/5th scale AM3 Zero WW2 fighter. 

The P51 has always been a favorite of mine too...

Collecting PEZ. Nightmare!

Gandy

Good for you to fly in an Eagle...

I flew an 1/3 scale model of the Pitts Special S2 and the Christian Eagle made by Great planes. They fly pretty much like the real ones. The Zero, Messerschmidt 109, P47 are also my favorites..

Also used to be a musician in high school and college (bass, keyboards). Computers kinda messed up my hands and wrists over the years..

Wasen't a hobby but always liked planes. In my filming days flew in B-24, a couple of B-17s, and the Fifi B-29. Back seat of a Texas trainer and Phantom jet. Also World Airways private B-23. This is some raw footage of the B-29 flight. We took off behind a B-24 and were escorted into Oakland with three or four P-51s. This shot is from the nose position. I was testing out then new Sony Hi-8 camera but it didn't match up well with the Betacam SP. Don

Great video there. I have never paid for any warbird flight, but I want the 'trifecta' of a Fort, Lib and Superfort (how many people can say they've flown on each?).

 
Front row, far right, kneeling:
 

And me in my ride, after a parade:
 

My main focus is WW2 US stuff but I have other things. I primarily focus on War Correspondents and cartoonists and have one of the best collections of each outside of a museum today. I’ve done some TV work including CNN and the History Channel on camera on these subjects. Enjoy the random photos, everything is mine in these photos… 

 

 

  
(everything but the airplane in the background)
 

 
Correspondent stuff:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
From a WW2 airfield near where I grew up:
 

 

 

 

 

 
Desert Storm:
 

 

 

 
I founded a living history group devoted to the 20th anniversary of that war. I’m the one with the shades on near the center, the guy to the left of me is carrying my M249. This was for this year’s Veteran’s Day parade:
 

 
And my favorite photo:

Thanks for sharing. Have also done, and was retained by History channel back when it still was. Was in several "Warrior" episodes, along with couple westerns.

Don't fly anymore, (flew B-17, 24s, and 25 when I did) because of eyesight, but do collect WW2 and Korean War Aviation items still. Again, great pics, and thanks for sharing your other hobbies.

Very nice collection P51. Thanks Don

P51;

Is that an L-6 with invasion strips in the background? was it in the Normandy invasion? I flew one and then Exported it later to Asia....Those are very very rare IF original...

I'm not sure, the guy shows up every other year or so, that's at the Olympia WA airshow from a few years back. When the guy shows up, he'll often park the plane in my display group's area. But I don't know the history of it at all, sorry!

I guess fishing may be the only hobby that I've totally dumped.  I got sick of cleaning the slimy buggers, and later began to see some sense in what my old man used to say:  "Why do you want to harm the fish?  What did they ever do to you?"  All the other interests I've had have been retained to some degree.

I quit smoking Viceroy cigarettes long ago and the money I didn't spend on cigarettes I used to buy trains so I got them all FREE!!!

The ships are very impressive, Lee!!  I wouldn't expect anything less from you.

Never got into hunting, even though my Dad loved it and so did my brother and I love shooting.

Something about being hunted in the military sort of takes the thrill out of pitting your wits against an animal. That, and I never thought it was sporting. It's not like in most cases, you're hunting something that could off you as easily.

Now, my Uncles went tiger hunting in Burma with Tommy guns in WW2. That, I think, was sporting as a tiger could easily have gotten the drop on them. Or Inuits going after Polar Bears on an ice flown armed only with a knife? Yeah, THAT is sporting.

But spending tens of thousands of dollars on gear used to wait for a deer to walk across your path or pit your wits again a fish, that seems downright silly to me as it's just not sporting at all, the way I see it.

Very interesting Thread! I have all sorts of toys to numerous to list. Mostly I dabble with Trains both model and 1:1. When Summer arrives in the frozen tundra I call New Hampshire, I m boating, fishing, swimming and grilling with family and friends on Lake Winnipausaukee, NH. The Scuba idea sounds like fun recreation, it reminds me of the Lloyd Bridges "Sea Hunt" TV show.

I wonder if today's kids have the same enthusiasm towards hobbies that we all have?? I wonder is it all Video games and computers for today's kids. Or is it nothing at all ? It's healthy too have interests and passions.

George, scuba is lots of fun. From the old "Sea Hunt" days lots of things have changed. Regulators have changed, BCs and computer dive equipment. I just started again and love it. It will never take the place of trains but it's a fun sport. In fact I'm going this morning. This video is my first dive in a long time. I'm the one shooting myself with the GoPro.Don

I agree about the diving.  However, it's been found that trains will operate poorly

if submerged.

     Hoppy

Sea Hunt!  My brother and I watched when we were kids.  We used to have pretend knife fights like Lloyd Bridges did.  One of us would just make a fist, no anything to resemble a knife.  The other would try to keep him from hitting him with the fist.  Our mother was okay with it.  We may have been dumb, but we weren't stupid.

Anytime I see any movie with an underwater scuffle, it brings back memories of Sea Hunt.

Very Cool Don.. Thanks for the Video, its very nicely done. Was that  you or a Lloyd Bridges dive master double ?

I picked up most of my hobbies from my dad. He was a casual hobbiest- into a little bit of everything & I copied his style, but with my main interests, I took those particular things to the next level. I like model kits, O gauge, HO, photography of industrial subjects, trains, boats, cranes, Zippo lighters, fishing, fireworks, & military history. I've never really "gotten out of" any of them but I do partake in certain ones more than others at different times during the year just based on the fact that some of those activities are seasonally based, like say an Air Show in the summer time & model trains for Christmas or whatever. Regarding kids today, they like hobbies too but they like them for different reasons. My 16 yr old wants everything new & shiny with all the latest electronics, & he doesn't like to spend much time doing the "busy" work of custom building anything, modifying, painting, or even doing couplers, or any of that stuff. He (erroneously) expects everything to work right out of the box & due to his generation's short attention span, he gets discouraged quickly & wants to bail (what I liken to a video game "reset" mentality) I don't know what the future holds for him, I'm not sure if he will take Dad's traditions & make them his own or not.